Targeting customers with e-mail marketing is like going on a date. The electronic commerce (e-commerce) company makes the customer comfortable by providing information, and the customer tries to understand what the e-commerce company is all about. If the customer likes the e-commerce company there is a second date, and then eventually marriage.
E-commerce companies love e-mail, and for good reason. Production costs are low; results are immediate. Personalized e-mail are messages that consumers sign up to receive or that companies can target at customers based on their previous purchases. Furthermore, targeted e-mail marketing requires a much bigger investment than simply blasting out untargeted e-mail messages because it involves sophisticated databases and statistical modeling.
Targeted e-mail is also more prone to error. Sending a personalized message to the wrong person can ruin a relationship for life. So can a message that overloads a customer's computer. But as long as the e-commerce company chooses the right words and format, experts agree that talking to customers is not only good for sales but also good for name recognition. Any excuse to interact with your customer is healthy for the brand, and targeted e-mail seems to be one of healthiest direct-marketing ways to build brand equity.
Accordingly, the ability to market a product or service to individuals who are accessible on the Internet is becoming increasingly important. Email systems exist today for sending email to a target set of email addresses for purposes such as marketing, information acquisition, and otherwise. A system for sending email to a number of email targets for such purposes may be called an email campaign.
Present email campaigns may suffer from difficulties in locating a pool of relevant individuals to be contacted. In a small email campaign, each email sent is critical to the success of the campaign, and needs to be carefully created. In other situations, large numbers of individuals to be contacted may have been found. This may result in increased difficulty in tailoring the large number of required email messages to the individuals for more effective contact.
Furthermore, once an email campaign has been initiated, difficulties in measuring success of the email campaign are presented. Effective ways for determining whether email recipients have received email from the email campaign have been sought. Also, effective ways for allowing the email recipients to provide feedback have also been sought. It is desirable for the email recipients to be able to respond with feedback, and for the quantity and content of the responses to be monitored and tracked. Furthermore, conducting advanced database search queries, then saving and managing these searches automatically is desirable as well.
Respecting subscribers to an email is also important. A message that's too focused risks missing out on impulse or crossover buys. According to a recent survey by Return Path, the number of consumers who are reporting opt-in email as spam to their Internet Service Provider (ISP) is up from 23.4% at the end of 2004 to nearly 34% at the end of 2005. The top reasons cited for the increase are lack of content relevancy and ratcheting up frequency beyond subscriber expectations. Moreover, according to a new Hostway survey, 70% of consumers said they would not purchase from websites that committed these pet peeves: pop-up advertising, registration log-on pages, software installation, and slow-loading pages. In addition, there is powerful evidence citing how effective email is when driving traffic to an online sale. In a recent Email Insider report, retailers who used email to promote post-holiday sales saw traffic increases of up to 700% above pre-holiday numbers.
Email deliverability will continue to be a major issue, and there are several deliverability challenges. Some, like authentication methods and challenge-response functionality, will be addressable by meeting technological specifications. But the most important factors affecting deliverability will continue to be reputation and respectful sending practices.
Furthermore, e-marketers' use of segmentation strategies and testing will become increasingly sophisticated. Marketers are getting smarter, and the technology is, too. Upcoming advances in email functionality like easier-to-use dynamic content, more robust testing capabilities, and deeper integration with web analytics providers will give businesses even more actionable information to drive sales and build relationships.
Additionally, there is a right and wrong way to build a list. A list is basically a database of subscribers. If a business wants to build an email marketing program, the best thing is not to purchase or borrow a list. Otherwise, they will be reported as a spammer. The best, most effective way to obtain a good list is to build it from the ground up. Building a database doesn't have to be difficult. In fact, it is one of the best ways to streamline marketing strategy to deliver measurable returns. In growing a quality permission—based list, the website is the best and most obvious place to build a list. If someone is surfing on the website, the business has a stellar opportunity to transform a web user from an interested party to a loyal patron. Usually there will be some link on the website that asks users to “Register Now” or “Subscribe Today” for a free e-newsletter, for more information, or for exclusive sales, offers and promotions. A survey page that is easy to fill out (name and email address are most important) is the next step. This information can then be used in a database.
The most time honored marketing method is word of mouth. Accordingly, using the current database to tell their friends about the business is a proven way to grow list. Using forward-to-a-friend and refer-a-friend tools, the audience will grow exponentially. These tools coupled with creative promotions such as special offers or drawings for those who refer friends, can build the subscriber base even more. But, as with any email marketing method, it must be used mindfully, employing permission-based methods only.
Great lists, like great buildings, are not built overnight. It takes time, often a few years, to grow a list that delivers big returns. A slowly built list ensures that users grow a community of patrons who rarely opt out. Email marketing campaigns are best implemented when integrated with and supported by other marketing efforts. That means the email marketing strategy should be part of printed collateral, in store and on-location promotions, advertising and trade show booth promotions. Every piece of paper about the business should include a link to the website and email subscription information.
The present invention provides a solution to these needs and other problems, and offers other advantages over the prior art.